French police seek help to ID English-speaking woman

Mystery surrounds the identity of an English-speaking woman who was found on a motorway in Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

The woman, who is described as being about 60 years old, 1m65cm tall and of average build told police her name was Marie Lester and that she lives with her partner in central Pau.

But the identity and home address of the woman's companion has not been located, police said - while the name she gave them offers a tantalising link to the Brittany region.

The woman, who speaks with what is said to be a Slavic accent, was found by officers last month, on the westbound carriageway of A64 motorway near Lescar, some 8km from Pau.

"Marie Lester" is the name of the heroine of a series of detective novels by Jean Failler that are set in and around Brittany.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 05 59 83 83 83 37.